Author Topic: At what size do you start keeping crappie?  (Read 44136 times)

Offline rdhammah

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Re: At what size do you start keeping crappie?
« Reply #30 on: Feb 22, 2018, 05:42 PM »
I learned how long it takes them to grow to 13 inches or more.  Now I tend to keep them between 10'' and 12".  In PA, a 12 inch crappie is usually about 8 years old but a 14+" fish is nearly 20 years old.  A 10-12 inch fish makes a good fillet but it takes far less time to replace that fish.   
After reading this, it got me thinking. This season, I caught a lot of 13-15" crappie as did my buddy. Kept 'em all. Now I regret it. Did not even think about it til now. New leaf - gonna let those big ones go....unless they are gut hooked (haven't had one yet) and keep the smaller ones

Offline musky8it

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Re: At what size do you start keeping crappie?
« Reply #31 on: Jan 07, 2019, 09:52 AM »
9-12, anything much over 12" is like keeping gills over 10", to me not that great of flavor. Love to catch those begins but small taste better.


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Offline Db

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Re: At what size do you start keeping crappie?
« Reply #32 on: Jan 07, 2019, 10:01 AM »
I fish for crappie alot and dont take anything over 12 and no smaller than 10 I figured the ones over 12 are good for spawning I could be wrong but that's how I think the bigger ones we catch like 16 inches we just take pictures and let them go

Offline PoleJerker

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Re: At what size do you start keeping crappie?
« Reply #33 on: Jan 07, 2019, 11:16 AM »
Usually 10 to 13" if I keep any at all. 

Offline Unclegillhunter

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Re: At what size do you start keeping crappie?
« Reply #34 on: Jan 25, 2019, 06:19 AM »
don't keep crappie. Do keep blue gill,probably 33 per year. 3 meals for the family. 8 to 9 inchers. right on to the folks practicing selective harvesting! Bottom line if folks that are keeping limit after limit of slabs and they are doing if with in the regs, then so be it. Sadly they are the same folks who cry when the lake has smaller and smaller year classes.
Keep it safe! JDL

Offline Tikkaman

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Re: At what size do you start keeping crappie?
« Reply #35 on: Jan 26, 2019, 03:18 PM »
10”

Offline hnd

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Re: At what size do you start keeping crappie?
« Reply #36 on: Jan 28, 2019, 10:38 AM »
we have a body of water that had a crappie problem tons of them but no size.   DNR put no limits on the lake to try and encourage people to take out as many as possible. 

We went down and caught as many 7-8" crappies as our heart wanted.   cleaning them was ok, (no rib meat) but ultimately was not worth the effort and i'm now 9-12" as our limits. 

Micah

Offline Van_Cleaver

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Re: At what size do you start keeping crappie?
« Reply #37 on: Mar 03, 2019, 01:51 AM »
Enjoyed reading this. Usually 10" is my lower limit but don't have to worry much about the top end . I almost never keep more than 7 anyway since that is a couple nice meals for my wife and me and I don't like freezing them. A couple of the private lakes I fish have really nice crappie; average is 10-11 but rarely over 12". I surmise that there is mega competition for the same food base so once they hit ten it takes many years for them to get substantially bigger. Here's a few from my last trip; actually tossed back the largest since I had plenty.


Offline Kevin23

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Re: At what size do you start keeping crappie?
« Reply #38 on: Mar 03, 2019, 04:21 PM »
Enjoyed reading this. Usually 10" is my lower limit but don't have to worry much about the top end . I almost never keep more than 7 anyway since that is a couple nice meals for my wife and me and I don't like freezing them. A couple of the private lakes I fish have really nice crappie; average is 10-11 but rarely over 12". I surmise that there is mega competition for the same food base so once they hit ten it takes many years for them to get substantially bigger. Here's a few from my last trip; actually tossed back the largest since I had plenty.
(Image removed from quote.)

That is a beautiful perch!
EYECONICFISHING

Offline Van_Cleaver

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Re: At what size do you start keeping crappie?
« Reply #39 on: Mar 06, 2019, 12:08 PM »
Perch was the only keeper I got that day, a nice 11". Weeded through a bunch of small ones as well. There are some lakes around here (Poconos) where they actually average that size, but getting permission to fish them is another story. ;)

Offline Unclegillhunter

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Re: At what size do you start keeping crappie?
« Reply #40 on: Mar 06, 2019, 01:47 PM »
Enjoyed reading this. Usually 10" is my lower limit but don't have to worry much about the top end . I almost never keep more than 7 anyway since that is a couple nice meals for my wife and me and I don't like freezing them. A couple of the private lakes I fish have really nice crappie; average is 10-11 but rarely over 12". I surmise that there is mega competition for the same food base so once they hit ten it takes many years for them to get substantially bigger. Here's a few from my last trip; actually tossed back the largest since I had plenty.
(Image removed from quote.)
Nice job! My wife won’t eat panfish unless they are still quivering when I drop em in the pan.
Keep it safe! JDL

Offline Kevin23

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Re: At what size do you start keeping crappie?
« Reply #41 on: Mar 06, 2019, 08:35 PM »
Perch was the only keeper I got that day, a nice 11". Weeded through a bunch of small ones as well. There are some lakes around here (Poconos) where they actually average that size, but getting permission to fish them is another story. ;)

The red fins and coloration is amazing! We don't see anything like that around here, just pale almost white/black ugly ones.
EYECONICFISHING

Offline DR.SPECKLER

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Re: At what size do you start keeping crappie?
« Reply #42 on: Mar 07, 2019, 06:28 AM »
I keep 10 to 11”.anything under or over go back.8” specks are so thin around here that i can see my fillet knife thru the fillets.not worth my time cleaning them.amazing the difference between a 8” gill and speck.bluegills have way more meat on them at that size.

Offline Mr. Charlie

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Re: At what size do you start keeping crappie?
« Reply #43 on: Mar 08, 2019, 07:08 AM »
we have a body of water that had a crappie problem tons of them but no size.   DNR put no limits on the lake to try and encourage people to take out as many as possible. 

We went down and caught as many 7-8" crappies as our heart wanted.   cleaning them was ok, (no rib meat) but ultimately was not worth the effort and i'm now 9-12" as our limits. 

Micah

I agree depends on the body of water. Sometimes you have to keep small ones in order to get big ones in years to come.
Keep yer worms warm!

Offline BeenPerchin315

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Re: At what size do you start keeping crappie?
« Reply #44 on: Nov 10, 2019, 06:57 AM »
I feel people should do as we do and be able to control ourselves with responsibility, perch are plentiful so my start is around 9.5-10” and we get a lot of em from there to 13-14” any bigger will go back. Our min size on calicos is 9.5” so at least cant keep the babies of a scarce species, only keep enough for a meal or 2. Not that I catch more then that. And bluegill I don’t target so if I happen to land on some big ones go home for a meal average ones and smalls go back. I think my biggest take home on calico or gills is like 10-15 fish.  Keep the fishing quality as good as possible for the next generations
Disclaimer:
I make statements based on my experiences in the location I fished only. Check ice conditions for yourself.
Stay safe. Tight lines.

 



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